If you are considering buyback which cars are you looking at as replacements?

[aja8888]

I've pretty much ruled out a 2000 - 2005 Corvette. After a few test drives, I think I will not like being so low to the road and will eventually experience getting in and out a bit unrewarding. When I was in my younger years and had a 1965 Stingray, it was different then. Plus, the traffic situation around here rivals LA at rush hour.

So I'll take the Passat cash and sit on it a while and possibly get back into a late model Chevy or Ford 1/2 ton pickup. I'll still have my 2003 Jetta TDI to use when I feel the need for some diesel vibes.

 

[bhtooefr]

Why would you prefer front wheel drive? Rear wheel and all wheel drive are both superior.

RWD is superior in certain situations. AWD is superior in certain situations.

Both RWD and AWD have packaging impacts - reduced cargo space and reduced interior space. They also have weight disadvantages (well, OK, mid-engine and rear-engine RWD don't, but we're talking about a BMW 3-series here, so those don't apply), and because of how the power is routed in front-engine RWD cars, and almost all AWD cars, there's more drivetrain losses than in a FWD car.

And, AWD means more maintenance costs.

Run flat tires are superior too.

Increased expense, harsher ride quality, increased unsprung weight. If you're caring about the benefits that RWD provides, you don't want that.

The 3 series wagon is superior to the Jetta Wagon in every way.

Except swallowing cargo and people, two of the main priorities of most wagon buyers...

 

[Rico567]

I am looking at Prius V.....I note it is slow accelerating, but mileage looks good and there is even more room in it with seats down than in my SportWagen. Comments?

The Prius V was the second of a half-dozen cars that made our short list in 2013...and the Passat won. The problem boiled down to two things. Driving the thing was more like an appliance than a car. Second, I ran across one review and comment after another in the forums that stated that while it did well enough around town, it was just not that great on the highway. And that's where we drive our Passat, at least 75-25%. As much as I admire the cargo capacity of the Prius V, when we do the buyback on this Passat, the Prius will not be the replacement.

 

[bhtooefr]

The Prius v is definitely a product of the pre-Akio Toyoda era of Toyota, when Toyota was churning out cars that were about as engaging as a refrigerator. (Before someone says that a refrigerator can contain engaging things... you can put lots of engaging things in a Prius v, too. Doesn't mean the refrigerator's engaging to use, and doesn't mean that a Gen 3 Prius (the Prius v being a bigger version of the Gen 3) is engaging to drive.)

They're getting better nowadays - I mean, I replaced my 99.5 Golf with a Gen 4 Prius - but the Prius v is still Gen 3-based. Unfortunately, I suspect that there won't be a second generation of the Prius v - otherwise, it'd be an interesting option. (I suspect that Toyota will steer prospective Prius v customers to the RAV4 Hybrid instead, in the US. In Europe, I predict a hybrid variant of the Verso, and in Japan, they've got several models to choose from that overlap with the Prius v - I predict it'd be a hybrid version of the Wish, myself. All of this is just a guess, though...)

 

[speedrye]

I am looking at Prius V.....I note it is slow accelerating, but mileage looks good and there is even more room in it with seats down than in my SportWagen. Comments?

I rented one a few years back to take on a 700-mile road trip. All highway, usually running 75+ and it averaged 54mpg. I was very impressed with that portion. The space was nice, but the acceleration on the highway made me want to drive it into bridge supports to just end it all. Around town though, it had enough pickup and was clearly more in its element. If I just needed an appliance to get from point A to point B with some cargo space, it would certainly be a candidate.

Around here, our Toyota dealerships have rental cars available, so you can rent a 4Runner, Camry, or whatever you're wanting. The weekend rates are VERY good with unlimited mileage. If you have that option, rent one for a weekend to see what you think.

We're considering the same option. What wheels and tires did you choose? Photos?

I had a set of Drag DR-33 (from Discount Tire Direct) wheels from my FR-S, so I just got some different hubcentric spacers and put them on the Mazda. I can't remember if the tires were the BFG g-force COMP-2 A/S or the BFG g-force Sport COMP-2 unfortunately. The picture below is before I put some Mazda center caps in there, but I was pretty happy with the look after I got used to the larger sidewall.

 

[TDIinMA]

Love it..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pwXdoRcC20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FybmYX4nE04#t=130.560641

 

[atomicfront]

RWD is superior in certain situations. AWD is superior in certain situations.
Both RWD and AWD have packaging impacts - reduced cargo space and reduced interior space. They also have weight disadvantages (well, OK, mid-engine and rear-engine RWD don't, but we're talking about a BMW 3-series here, so those don't apply), and because of how the power is routed in front-engine RWD cars, and almost all AWD cars, there's more drivetrain losses than in a FWD car.
And, AWD means more maintenance costs.
Increased expense, harsher ride quality, increased unsprung weight. If you're caring about the benefits that RWD provides, you don't want that.
Except swallowing cargo and people, two of the main priorities of most wagon buyers...

Front wheel drive vehicles with a lot of power give you torque steer. Also front wheel drive vehicles tend to have more weight in front making them handle poorly.

I don't see the more maintenance costs. I have driven both vehicles and performance wise it is not even close. I don't see Sportwagon as having more passenger room. The Sport Wagon handles well and have decent performance for a car in its price range but I the BMW is more stable at 120 than the VW at 80. Can handle curves at higher speeds. I have owned 3 VWs and 3 BMWsand I like both but there is a reason the BMW costs twice as much.

Most likely we will replace our Sportwagon with another one or an All Track. Really can't justify having two 50k cars and VW Sportwagon seems superior to alternatives under 40k.

 

[bhtooefr]

And that's the other thing, cost. FWD is cheaper, and that in and of itself has its own benefits, and is proven by you choosing another FWD-based wagon.

And, actually, RWD vehicles even have increased maintenance over some FWD vehicles - differential lubricant needs to be changed, too, even in manual RWD vehicles, where the FWD vehicle has common lubrication.

I'm not saying that RWD is bad, just that it has a set of tradeoffs that may be suboptimal for certain workloads. I have both an RWD and a FWD car, after all - for their respective tradeoffs, they have the optimum driveline configuration for each of their missions.

 

[tvmaster]

Has anyone test driven the Prius Prime with the 11" tablet between the seats?

 

[dubStrom]

There is a vehicle that does all the things your Sportwagon does. It is BMW 3 series wagon diesel. Problem is it is 50k.

My JSW will do. No reason to replace it. It cost half the price of the BMW 3 series wagon diesel. My point is just that. Anything else available today is a compromise or too expensive.

So I am keeping the JSW, and moving on. I am not a victim of the clever engineers at VW. I am lucky to own the car... I bought, and own the car I need- it's a 2014 JSW. Selling my old Toyota is sad, but it will help pay for the 3/4 ton 4x4 turbo diesel pickup. Amazingly, the 5.9 Cummins gets about the same mileage as the old 4 cylinder SR5 ! That's the beauty of turbo diesel! And I will still have the TDI for commuting.

I still see no reason to give it up.

 

[avid]

Has anyone test driven the Prius Prime with the 11" tablet between the seats?

Not many, the media people invited to the Ojai reveal and I hear that Toyota of Orange County has some they have been providing test drives with. I suspect the cars at Orange CT are the ones from the media event. Just guessing. Supposedly there are more on their way for early November. Redline reviews has a half hour video filmed at the Ojai event available on Youtube.

 

[rfortson]

I am looking at Prius V.....I note it is slow accelerating, but mileage looks good and there is even more room in it with seats down than in my SportWagen. Comments?

From a mileage and cargo standpoint, I think it would be a great choice. Driving characteristics won't be nearly the same, of course. I looked at the Prius before getting the Sportwagen. This time around, I thought about it, but opted for the Audi A3 e-tron. More expensive (though you can find deals) and depending on your driving/commute profile, you can save a good bit on gas by driving on electricity alone. And it's easily as fun to drive (or more so) than my Sportwagen. If you have a long commute where you'd run out the battery quickly, then it's just a regular hybrid that gets middling fuel economy.

Prius
+ fuel economy
+ cargo space
- ride characteristics

 

[halfast3]

...
I had a set of Drag DR-33 (from Discount Tire Direct) wheels from my FR-S, so I just got some different hubcentric spacers and put them on the Mazda. I can't remember if the tires were the BFG g-force COMP-2 A/S or the BFG g-force Sport COMP-2 unfortunately. The picture below is before I put some Mazda center caps in there, but I was pretty happy with the look after I got used to the larger sidewall...

Looking good! Thanks for sharing.
.
I've always been a bit nervous of hub-centric rings. I've seen several over the years where the rings siezed on the hub...had to remove them with an air chisel. Imagine getting a flat tire and finding you coudn't install your spare. Probably wouldn't hurt to put a light film of grease or some anti-sieze on the hubs.
.
BTW, your tint may not be legal in an OR-registered car...35% max IIRC.

 

[speedrye]

Looking good! Thanks for sharing.
.
I've always been a bit nervous of hub-centric rings. I've seen several over the years where the rings siezed on the hub...had to remove them with an air chisel. Imagine getting a flat tire and finding you coudn't install your spare. Probably wouldn't hurt to put a light film of grease or some anti-sieze on the hubs.
.
BTW, your tint may not be legal in an OR-registered car...35% max IIRC.

Yeah, I always used anti-seize on the rings for that very reason. In NC, I've got a medical exemption for the 20% tint (35% is normally the legal limit here as well).

 

[finny_amour]

I'm so undecided on my replacement. I've researched and test drove many cars and am down to my short list. I'd appreciate any feedback for comments, that may be helpful to me. Looking for something that can accommodate 2 adults and 2 forward-facing carseats with room to take trips to Target and Trader Joe's. This will also be my main commuting car (70 miles round trip per day).

I'm fairly sold on the Mazda 6, but I really hate to give up the hatchback. My last 4 cars have all been wagons and I just don't know if I'll kick myself in a few months.

1. Mazda 6 (if they sold the wagon in the US, I think it would be hands-down my choice)
2. Outback (2015+)
3. Audi Allroad
4. Mazda CX-5
5. VW GSW or Alltrack

 

[coolbreeze]

Yeah, I always used anti-seize on the rings for that very reason. In NC, I've got a medical exemption for the 20% tint (35% is normally the legal limit here as well).

I imagine the exemption is to protect you from sun exposure due to skin issues? How did you go through those steps? Is there a form the DMV excepts to allow?

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I'm so undecided on my replacement. I've researched and test drove many cars and am down to my short list. I'd appreciate any feedback for comments, that may be helpful to me. Looking for something that can accommodate 2 adults and 2 forward-facing carseats with room to take trips to Target and Trader Joe's. This will also be my main commuting car (70 miles round trip per day).

I'm fairly sold on the Mazda 6, but I really hate to give up the hatchback. My last 4 cars have all been wagons and I just don't know if I'll kick myself in a few months.

1. Mazda 6 (if they sold the wagon in the US, I think it would be hands-down my choice)
2. Outback (2015+)
3. Audi Allroad
4. Mazda CX-5
5. VW GSW or Alltrack

I would despair with the lack of automatics, but I agree on the holding out for a wagon. I'd drive a CX-5 and see what you think: I've heard bad things about road and wind noise. If you can swing the price difference the Allroad would probably by my choice.

 

[finny_amour]

I would despair with the lack of automatics, but I agree on the holding out for a wagon. I'd drive a CX-5 and see what you think: I've heard bad things about road and wind noise. If you can swing the price difference the Allroad would probably by my choice.

Thanks for the input! Yes, I love the Allroad, but would definitely need to purchase a used model to swing the price difference. I also considered the 3 series wagon, but I'm concerned about maintenance and repair costs on a premium brand.

 

[bennybmn]

Does anyone have any good, realistic info on release/order dates for 6MT Alltracks or GSW? Is there REALLY going to be 6MT GSWs?

I test drove an Alltrack friday. Nice car! Not sure if it's 30 grand nice, but it was nice. And I don't NEED awd... Hence considering a GSW. But I'm having a mental block with the whole 5 speed thing... Really VW (and Subaru for that matter)?!? I can't bring myself to deliberately buy tech my dad had when I was 8. Will I need to put in my own tape deck like he did too?

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

If you're comparing new versus used I'd probably vote for the GSW.

 

[tvmaster]

I'm so undecided on my replacement. I've researched and test drove many cars and am down to my short list. I'd appreciate any feedback for comments, that may be helpful to me. Looking for something that can accommodate 2 adults and 2 forward-facing carseats with room to take trips to Target and Trader Joe's. This will also be my main commuting car (70 miles round trip per day).

I'm fairly sold on the Mazda 6, but I really hate to give up the hatchback. My last 4 cars have all been wagons and I just don't know if I'll kick myself in a few months.

1. Mazda 6 (if they sold the wagon in the US, I think it would be hands-down my choice)
2. Outback (2015+)
3. Audi Allroad
4. Mazda CX-5
5. VW GSW or Alltrack

Go to Iceland, buy a M6 wagon, and have it shipped. they drive on the right side of the road there. let us know how much it costs

 

[bhtooefr]

There's a lot of other countries that drive on the right hand side of the road.

The problem is that you'd have to bring many cars in, crash test them, modify them to meet US standards, etc., etc. And, do all of this through a registered importer, too.

Or, you could bring a 25+ year old 626 wagon in, but then you're bringing a 25+ year old car in.

 

[nattyboh2027]

At this point, I could care less about MPG. Next vehicle is a Subaru WRX! Do your research, Subaru is the top brand that holds the highest resale value. In which I do buy a Subaru, I plan on keeping it forever. High resale value translates to highly reliable to me. Was considering a Subaru Forester w/Turbo but I want that everyday fun car. Basically all Subaru's on the market are pretty good. Can't beat AWD comes standard too

 

[MrSprdSheet]

Agreed. He'd be fine in the summer time, but winter would be another matter. Definitely choose the heat pump instead of resistance heating if it's an option (not sure if option or standard equipment on all Bolt trims).

RE: Bolt for a ~200 mile commute, in the north:
-I don't believe Bolt uses a heat pump, for heat (typical for A/C, but in reverse).
-Volt2 came out, and they increased the kw of its resistance heater. Volt1 could soak over 5,000 watts (heats the battery coolant loop, then cabin)
-The thing with Volts, especially for someone from Plymouth MA going long in their commutes, is to remember the thermostat on the engine opens (or used to) at about .1 gallon. Then, you've got gobs of heat for the cabin, and you can keep the watts for driving instead. You have to time your use of 'Hold' mode, like as the first thing on a freezing day. (my wife never got used to this/figured it out, and benefited from automatic engine operation below 36 degrees)

Long Range EV's (Bolt) don't suffer the same cabin heating losses other PHEVs do. "Range fell 40%" is a common complaint from battery-only heat, but it's kwh that heat the car, not "% of range". Once you get up to 60kwh, the percentage is not that bad. Will a 238 EPA AER rated car deliver heat and 200 miles? It could be close, or possibly worth pulling the trigger if those <2 weeks/year, where its <15 degrees, are times where a fast DC station can be found along your path. Enough to be on your way, wouldn't take more than a gas stop. It's just you'd have to do it a ~dozen+ times a year. ....not necessarily a bad trade versus gassing up year round.

 

[derekmw]

At this point, I could care less about MPG. Next vehicle is a Subaru WRX! Do your research, Subaru is the top brand that holds the highest resale value. In which I do buy a Subaru, I plan on keeping it forever. High resale value translates to highly reliable to me. Was considering a Subaru Forester w/Turbo but I want that everyday fun car. Basically all Subaru's on the market are pretty good. Can't beat AWD comes standard too

Some good points there, especially with regards to the STi's. Although I don't think the price difference between a WRX to STi is worth it, you see how well the STi's have held their prices over the years. I've owned 2 in the past but being that the A3 is my wife's car and she hates driving stick (and not sure I can stomach her having the CVT out of my own selfish reasons ), it's not really an option. I do love Subaru though...

 

[bhtooefr]

Note, however, that high resale value doesn't necessarily mean reliability. Rarity and uniqueness can drive resale value, for instance, without being related to reliability, or (in the case of rarity) even directly being related to unreliabiity. And, reliability-driven resale value can sometimes be on the perception of reliability, which may not actually be there.

 

[AFTiggerIntel]

Already replaced my paperweight (IE CR 2011 JSW). The 2017 Outback and 2017 WRX have replaced the daily driver VWs. I still have the 2004 Jetta BEW TDI though. We did the auto to manual swap so not quite ready to part with it.

The unreliability issues seen in previous years of Subarus have been addressed. I know a good amount stemmed from those ranging in years 2009-2014 especially about the oil leaking/burning off but that was addressed and fixed. Father in law texted us no less than 3 different times about checking the oil constantly on our recent trip. Had to inform him that the problem had been taken care off and that we'd still be watching it. I'd have preferred a manual in the Outback but it does make a good family car for 3 kids across.

 

[atomicfront]

Note, however, that high resale value doesn't necessarily mean reliability. Rarity and uniqueness can drive resale value, for instance, without being related to reliability, or (in the case of rarity) even directly being related to unreliabiity. And, reliability-driven resale value can sometimes be on the perception of reliability, which may not actually be there.

Also high resale value today isn't a gurantee of high resale value in 5 years when you want to trade in your car.

 

[OatBunch]

I can confirm, the Outback does make a good family wagon. Picked one up a few years back for the wife to replace a totaled Rogue and she has been very happy. That being said, compared to my TDI Golf it is almost painfully sluggish. The anemic H4 + CVT was a little painful to get use to, but it gets the job done, eventually. She didn't want to pay the 6 cylinder premium, but I hear that makes a big difference.

Despite being one of my favorite cars to drive (except the road noise and DSG lag) I decided to replace the Golf and get away from the compact car world completely. Kids take way more room than I expected. On Friday we stopped off and picked up a 2016 4runner. Getting deep into the back country camp sites and trail heads is going to be way easier now.

 

[derekmw]

On Friday we stopped off and picked up a 2016 4runner. Getting deep into the back country camp sites and trail heads is going to be way easier now.

Nice, I really really was hoping to love the 4runner. I think a lot of the aspects of the car are just what I want, but for the hp stated, when I test drove it, it just felt really lacking and un-exciting...I tried hard to like it too...lol

I'm still at a bit of a loss as to what we will replace our A3 with. Since I have solar, a plug-in hybrid that still has decent acceleration and storage (reason why we don't want the A3 e-tron after owning an A3) makes sense but I don't like the prices on most of them...